Why HBO Canceled Mick Jagger’s ‘Vinyl’

HBO's Vinyl had Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese behind it, a cast that included Bobby Cannavale and Olivia Wilde, and a cool rock 'n' roll period setting. So why did the network end up pulling the plug after renewing the show for a second season?

Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour this week, network executive Casey Bloys explained Vinyl's abrupt reversal of fortune, saying the departure of showrunner Terence Winter during a creative overhaul put the writing on the wall in terms of what they'd really be able to do to "move the needle" for the show. Facing lukewarm ratings and disappointing reviews, HBO opted to cut its losses.

"It didn’t land, I think, as we would have liked it, as [critics] would have liked it or as producers would have liked it," said Bloys. "With limited resources, we didn’t think the retooling was worth the producers’ time if it would only move the needle a little bit. … With a little bit of distance, thinking about what we want to do going forward, it really becomes about priorities. … If I have limited resources, there are other things I want to do. We will more carefully consider things; it’s not something that I’d like to do or relish doing going forward — going back on things."

Starring Cannavale as a '70s record exec "trying to save his company and his soul without destroying everyone in his path," Vinyl came to HBO after a lengthy development process, but despite a healthy budget and no shortage of hype, the show lagged behind other network hits like Game of Thrones. But not everyone shares Bloys' opinion: Series co-star Bo Dietl pointed to the departure of Winter, which he called "a stupid thing to do," and pinned some of the blame on the show's producers, saying "there were too many cooks in the f---ing kitchen."